Militant Monks Bolster Myanmar Junta’s Grip on Power

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In Myanmar, a powerful alliance between ultranationalist Buddhist monks and the country’s ruling military junta is fuelling repression, religious extremism, and deepening the civil war, four years after the military seized control in a bloody coup.

 

While Myanmar’s monastic order—the Sangha—is traditionally seen as apolitical and revered, a growing faction of radical monks has thrown its weight behind General Min Aung Hlaing’s regime. These militant clergy, particularly those aligned with the once-banned MaBaTha group, are providing the junta not just moral cover but direct support, from propaganda to combat.

 

Some have gone as far as commanding pro-military militias. One prominent figure, the monk Wathawa, is said to lead forces implicated in brutal crackdowns on resistance fighters. Others, like Ashin Wirathu—often dubbed the “Buddhist Bin Laden”—have used fiery sermons and social media to incite anti-Muslim sentiment and bolster nationalist fervour.

 

The junta’s support is clear. Since the 2021 coup, hardline monks have received awards, funding and favours. Imprisoned clerics like Wirathu were released. Top generals attend their sermons, and in one striking episode, a leading monk referred to Min Aung Hlaing as “King of Myanmar”.

 

This cooperation is not new. The seeds were sown years earlier, as extremist monks clashed with Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government over attempts to secularise the state. But today, this monk-military alliance is institutional. Through education grants, land deals, and symbolic gestures, the military has embedded itself within religious structures—what analysts call a “military-monastic complex”.

 

The impact is not confined to sermons. MaBaTha-aligned monks played a key role in the persecution of Rohingya Muslims, which culminated in mass killings and a refugee crisis in 2017. Now, amid renewed civil war, the same religious networks are being used to divide ethnic minorities, delegitimise democratic resistance, and internationalise Buddhist nationalism—particularly with Sri Lankan and Indian far-right groups.

 

While many monks remain neutral—or oppose the junta, at great personal risk—the militant faction continues to shape public perception and policy. In doing so, they provide the Sit-Tat regime with something it desperately lacks: moral authority in a country under siege.

 

As the conflict grinds on, Myanmar’s future may depend not just on military strength or diplomacy, but on whether religion can be disentangled from the politics of fear.

 

-2025-06-26